Untitled 1
by TrippWire
Summary: It all starts with a terrifying encounter with a villian. Then some new awkward feelings begin to arise and things start to change... perhaps for the worst. Will it all be too much to handle? BBxRae ON HOLD
1. A Certain Moment

**Disclaimer:** Come on, if I owned them, would I really be sitting here writing stories on FanFic?

**Rating:**** T**

* * *

**CHAPTER 1: "A Certain Moment"**

The Titans were in Jump's central park, celebrating one of their many victories over a villain that threatened the city. Robin, Starfire, and Beast Boy gathered around the picnic table as Cyborg grilled up a fairly large amount of jumbo hot dogs. A few of them were tofu-dogs for Beast Boy. Cyborg had became so accustomed to the changeling's refusal to eat meat that it became natural for him to have a substitute on hand when ever he cooked for the team.

Raven situated herself under a near by tree. She sat back against the thick trunk of the old oak with her herbal tea in the grasp of her hands. She welcomed the cool the shade the tree provided on such a hot day and she pulled the cowl of her cloak down to feel the light summer breeze brush against her cheek. Raven actually liked being at the park. It offered a decent amount of respite, unlike the operations room back at Titan's Tower. It's just that this peace was often ended abruptly sooner or later…

"How's my favorite empath doin'?"

She stared out into the distance for a brief second before turning her head around to see Cyborg leaning against the tree, supporting himself with his right arm and his left hand on his hip. He presented a big grin on his face as he looked down at her. Raven said nothing…

"Wanna join us for lunch, Rae?"

"No, I'm fine," she said before turning to her tea and looking at the reflection of emotionless face that stared back at her.

Cyborg's grin turned into a disappointed frown. He was about to ask if she was telling the truth before she spoke again, as if anticipating him.

"Really," Raven reassured with a tone hinting to him that he should not continue on the path he was currently on.

"Aw! Com'on!"

Raven shrieked and fell over on her side in shock. She peered over to her right to see her green friend sitting cross-legged next to her. _'How long has he been there?'_ she wondered. She studied his innocent expression.

She just had to ask him. "How long have you --"

"We know you don't like doing these things all that much, but you should come eat with us." He paused for a moment before looking back at her slyly. "You know you want to try one of my signature 'Flame-fu' dogs," he said smugly, wiggling his eyebrows and grinning widely.

Raven sighed. _'Better to avoid an argument than start one, I suppose,' _she resolved. She certainly did not want things to heat up now.

"Beast Boy, I'm fine… _Really_. I just want to be alone," she said in a tone of finality. Beast Boy didn't even notice.

"How come you always want to be alone?"

Raven's eyes closed and twitched in annoyance. Her jaw tightened noticeably. She couldn't help it; she was getting angrier.

"Why don't you ever want to just have some fun?"

She shot him a death glare. "I. Don't. Do. Fun," She stated, her volume increasing with each word along with her aggravation. He just looked back at her incredulously.

Fortunately for the little grass stain, Cyborg had spotted the volcano that was dangerously close to erupting in his face. He reached down and grabbed Beast Boy by the arm and then forcefully yanked upwards so that he was standing next to him.

Cyborg leaned down to get closer to Beast Boy. "Man, you know better than to push the girl like that," whispered into his pointed ears so Raven could not hear. Cyborg put his hand over the younger boy's mouth before he could respond.

"We'll see you after lunch," Cyborg said, turning back to Raven with his previous smile. Then Cyborg walked away, dragging Beast Boy behind him like a mother would her tumultuous toddler.

Beast Boy did not like this. His pointed ears flattened as he reluctantly let Cyborg haul him back to the picnic table, knowing better than to challenge the intimidating half-metal man.

"What's got her so pissed? I'm just trying to get her to be a little more social…" he justified himself, but then trailed off for a moment. "Why is she always avoiding us?" he asked, not really looking for someone else's input.

Cyborg supplied an answer anyway. "Why do you care? It's not like this is anything new." Although his response did encourage further debate, his inflection implied that the conversation was already over.

They reached the table and Cyborg began handing out paper plates and set a large platter of at least two-dozen hot dogs in the middle of the table. Beast Boy sat in silence with his arms crossed and furrowed eye brows.

Robin's mouth started watering in anticipation of delicious food he would soon be inhaling. Starfire looked upon the magnificent meal with glee and immediately pulled out an oversized canister of mustard. Cyborg stood at the edge of the table smiled proudly at his perfect franks and crossed his arms triumphantly. However, Beast Boy remained frustrated at Raven's refusal to join them. He made glance back at the old tree and the blue figure underneath its branches.

"Glorious, friend Cyborg! I will take six of Frank's Furters!" Starfire announced and then put on an ear-to-ear smile. The alien was blissfully unaware of her mistake.

Her friends looked over at her questioningly, but knew what she meant because she constantly mixed up "the Earth words", as she liked to put it.

Robin held up his finger, taking the responsibility of correcting her. "Uh… Star, I think you mean 'Frankfurter'. Besides, you can just call it a hot dog."

Starfire simply nodded in response and blushed slightly.

Robin smiled and he started putting the hot dogs on her plate. He always thought she looked so cute when blushed like that...

The slight interruption hadn't made Beast Boy forget the frustration Raven had caused him. He usually respected her decisions when a minor dispute such as this one occurred. It happened enough times for this to be routine in their awkward relationship. However, _this_ felt different. Raven was known to avoid her feelings (that much was made apparent after the Wicked Scary incident), but this refusal seemed more on a personal level, as if she was hiding from him. But the weird part of it was she hadn't said anything that made it seem this way. Yes, she did not partake in social events because of Beast Boy's antics at times, but the thing of it was that Beast Boy could not think of anything he had done to provoke her. Maybe it had something to do with what happened the day before… He only asked her to join them for lunch. She did kind of owe it to him. Then Cyborg's last comment came to mind:_ 'Why do you care?'_

'_Why __do__ I care?' _he mulled. Beast boy contemplated on the thought for a moment.

"Yo! BB! You gonna eat your dogs or what?" Cyborg called over to his currently spaced-out friend.

His concentration was broken and he snapped back to reality. "What? Oh yeah! Hit me up, Cy," he replied eagerly, his hunger finally getting the better of him. Cyborg promptly slapped three of the vegetarian's "specially prepared" hot dogs down on his plate.

Beast Boy's inability to sit still for extended periods of time also applied to his mind as well. So, involuntarily, he took his mind off his concerns as the aroma his "Flame-fu" hot dogs filled his senses. At the moment, eating his fill was his only concern.

----------

Raven's empathic abilities allowed her to feel Beast Boy's frustration towards her. She tried to ignore it. Why was he so frustrated with her anyway? He would usually let the matter rest once she reached a decision.

She closed her eyes, pulled on her cowl and took one more sip of her now cold tea before setting it on the ground next to her.

But then again, she would usually let the matter rest too and go back to what had her preoccupied before. She was still recalling the minor dispute in her head. And that's what it was: minor. Or at least, that's what it was supposed to be. So why was she still weighing it over in her mind?

Awkwardly enough, what had occupied her thoughts before the "minor" dispute had also concerned Beast Boy. Her thoughts kept falling back to a certain moment the day before…

XXXXXXXXXX

_The alert sounded throughout out the tower just a little after the sun had started its decent from the sky. All five of the young heroes met in the operations room to receive the low-down on the situation._

_Raven sat at the main computer and typed with unmatchable speed, bringing up the details on the distress call. A map of the city popped up onto the screen and a familiar name appeared next to a blinking dot. _

_Robin folded his arms. "Looks Plasmus is on the loose again," he said and looked at where the dot was. "He's down town in the industrial district. We'll follow the signal until we catch up with him."_

"_How many times has Plasmus escaped from prison? You'd think they'd be able to contain him by now," Raven stated, disparaging Jump's authorities._

"_I agree with Raven," Starfire said, "Doing battle with the Plasmus is becoming most tiresome."_

"_Not to mention totally nasty," added Beast Boy as a shiver of disgust ran up his spine. Cyborg nodded in agreement._

_After all comments put aside, Robin rallied up his team. "Right then… Titans, GO!"_

_They raced out of the tower. Cyborg and Beast Boy jumped into the T-Car. Cyborg engaged the vertical thrusters and small winglets extended from the sides of the vehicle to allow it to fly over the bay. Raven and Starfire took to the skies, Starfire carrying Robin until lowering him down to the hiding spot where the R-Cycle rested._

_The five heroes raced through the streets, trying to find Plasmus as quick as possible. For a villain who was able to be taken down without too much difficulty, he was still known to cause some significant damage to the city._

_Robin spotted the familiar trail of magenta-colored globs on the road. Using his communicator built into his helmet, he contacted the others. "Okay, team, we should be coming up on Plasmus any minute now!" And as Robin had predicted, they found the slime monster no more than a minute later._

_Cyborg brought the T-Car to a skidding halt, followed by the R-cycle in the same fashion. Raven and Starfire landed in front of the vehicles as the boys rushed up to join them._

_Beast glanced up at a large sign that read "WATER TREATMEANT PLANT" and then looked back down at the monster which was casually walking towards the sign._

"_Dudes, he's going into the Water Treatment Plant!" he shouted._

_Raven rolled her eyes. "How could you tell?" she asked sarcastically. Beast Boy narrowed his eyes at her._

"_I think we all know how to handle this one," Robin said. "Move out, and make sure he doesn't get a hold of anything in there. It'll only make him stronger." _

_With that, they all began their charge._

_Plasmus was just about to smash through the front doors of the large building, but a sudden explosion on his back stopped him dead in his tracks. He whipped around just as more of Robin's disks exploded in his face, sending the disgusting goo flying everywhere, but the villain quickly reformed._

_Cyborg followed up Robin's attack by charging at Plasmus. "I hope you didn't eat already…" he shouted at Plasmus as he closed the distance, sprinting for a driving blow. Just as his fist broke the liquid-like surface of Plasmus's stomach, Cyborg fired off his sonic cannon, creating a giant hole in the belly of the beast. Cyborg dived through the gap before Plasmus had the chance to regenerate and confine him within the slimey mass. _

"…_Because it looks like you just lost your lunch." Cyborg smiled at his clever remark._

_Starfire took advantage of Cyborg's attack and bombarded the creature with a barrage of Starbolts, catching him off guard again._

_Plasmus let loose an earsplitting screech as he blindly swept his arms in the air. He managed to swipe Starfire before she could get out of range. The glob-like arm made full contact with Starfire like a fly swatter and sent her hurtling towards the ground with full force. _

_Luckily, Robin caught her in his arms before she struck the concrete. She looked up at him with a thankful glitter in her eyes, but then she frowned and said, "Why is it that when ever we do battle with the Plasmus I become covered in 'the goo'?" she asked. She made awry face at the substance that covered her body. Robin just looked into her eyes and gave her light smile before setting her down on her feet gently and heading after Plasmus, his bo-staff extended._

_Meanwhile, Beast Boy stood by on his guard, waiting for an opportunity to make his move. "Come on, come on, come on, come on," he kept repeating to himself._

_Robin sliced down the center of the creature with his staff, knowing that Plasmus would reform again in a matter of seconds. (The only way to stop him was to knock him hard enough that he would go unconscious.) Robin had seen Beast Boy waiting for an opportunity; he had merely drawn Plasmus's attention to give Beast Boy his chance. _

_Robin winked at Beast Boy through the slice he had made in the monster before continuing his swift attacks._

"_Thanks, Robin," Beast Boy said to himself. He would have to thank him later. _

_Beast Boy turned to Raven, who was using her dark magic to throw large objects at Plasmus. "Hey, Raven," he called over to her, "Cover me!" Raven nodded._

_The changeling morphed into a rhinoceros and immediately bolted at Plasmus. _

_Raven flew close behind Beast Boy, but she didn't see why he needed her cover when Robin was doing fairly well on his own keeping the mass of goo occupied. It was just as this thought passed her through her mind that she saw Robin fly backwards, covered in sludge. Plasmus turned to see the oncoming attack. He shot the nasty slime from his arms right at the green rhinoceros. Raven reacted quickly and put up a field of dark energy in front of Beast Boy. He continued to charge, using Raven's shield to his advantage to gain speed. Plasmus could do nothing to avoid it now._

_Raven released the field of energy not but a millisecond before Beast Boy rammed the monster with such a force that would have shattered Plasmus's skeleton, had he had one._

_The others retreated from the blast, but to their dismay, the globs of slime scattered quickly and ended up blanketing them anyway. _

_A small, bald man, who had been knocked out cold, was revealed from the sludgy mess. He no longer posed a threat… for the moment._

_And finally… silence._

_Raven surveyed the scene from the air. Globs of the goo were scattered about on every near object, and every Titan. She shuttered. "So… nasty," she said before landing next to Cyborg, who was anything but happy. _

_Cyborg frowned immensely as he watched goo drip down between his eyes and off his nose. He gave Beast Boy, who had resumed human form, a malicious eye. _

"_You sure made a mess outta him," he said, emphasizing the word 'mess'. There wasn't a hint of humor in his voice, however._

_Beast Boy looked back at him nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Heh, at least we won," he said, laughing uncomfortably. Beast Boy was covered the most with the sludge, having been the one to smash right into Plasmus. His green skin was hidden behind mask of magenta._

_Robin wiped at his uniform to get the slime off. "Although I wish that had ended… cleaner, I have to say, Beast Boy, you did a pretty good job." Robin was impressed with his current tactics. He gave his green teammate a satisfied nod. "You've been really showing what you've got these past few missions."_

_Beast Boy was rarely praised this way by Robin, but then again, he was rarely the one to bring down the enemy with his first and only move._

"_Thanks, Rob," he said, winking and giving his leader a thumbs up as a way of silently thanking him for earlier._

_Unbeknownst to them, the sleeping man that was Plasmus had stirred a little…_

_Beast Boy was in the process of turning around after accepting on of Starfire's over-gracious compliment only to stop abruptly, surprised by the violet eyes that were staring back into his._

_What really scared him was that she was smiling… happily._

_But upon closer inspection, he saw the mischievous glint in her eyes. That mischievous glint she always had when she smiled at him that way. The one she always had when… _

'_Oh no,' Beast Boy thought frantically._

"_Wow, Beast Boy," her voice sounded genuinely impressed, but Beast Boy knew better. "Good job. I never thought it was possible, but you finally managed to become more of a mess than your room," she said, smiling and still sounding completely innocent. How did she always do that?_

_What she did next took Beast Boy by surprise even more. She reached out and he recoiled as if anticipating a blow to his face, but she simply pinched a chunk of sludge off his nose and dropped it on the ground in front of him. She turned around and walked away without another word. In his moment of triumph, she had still found a way to bring him down… __again__. 'Man she's good,' he couldn't help but think._

_Robin and Cyborg both were resisting the urge to giggle like little school girls as they smiled at Beast Boy._

_Beast boy looked down at his feet. "Yeah, yeah, laugh at poor old Beast Boy. Don't mind him, he doesn't care."_

_(The slime began to move…)_

_Starfire walked over to the sullen green boy and smiled at him sympathetically._

_(It began to group in a puddle around the man…)_

"_Fear not, Beast Boy. I disagree with Raven. I do not believe this mess can compare to the most displeasing atrocities in your room."_

_(The puddle thickened and enveloped the man…)_

_Robin and Cyborg stared at Starfire, wide-eyed._

_(The puddle began to rise from the ground as the sludge congealed together…)_

_That was the breaking point. Unable to contain themselves anymore, Cyborg and Robin burst into hysterical laughter._

_(A head slowly formed from the slimey mass…)_

_Beast Boy hung his head even lower._

_(The creature began to emerge from the mass…)_

_Realizing her mistake, Starfire could not find the right word to correct it. She looked away from Beast Boy in embarrassment._

_(The lime-colored eyes opened and looked at the five teens…)_

_Raven joined the boys in a fit of laughter after failing to suppress her amusement. The bulb in a goo-covered street light Beast Boy was standing under burst with a black aura around it. _

_(The arms and torso began taking shape from the sludge…)_

_Finally, Robin, Cyborg, and Raven began to settle down, having been worn out from laughing so hard._

_(The body of the creature had totally emerged…)_

_Just as they were calming down, more goo dripped onto Beast Boy's head from the street light above him, sending the trio roaring in laughter all over again._

_(Plasmus was back once more, but instead of attacking his currently occupied foes, he reduced himself to a stream of slime and slid through a sewer drain before they could notice him…)_

"_Okay… team… I think… we should… hand Plasmus over to… the authorities," Robin said in between laughs._

_The Titans finally regained their composure and walked over to where the sleeping Plasmus lie, or rather, where he should have been lying._

_They froze in their tracks and Starfire released a shocked gasp as they looked upon the spot where the culprit should have been._

_Robin whirled around, desperately trying to find the escapee. "He woke up! Titans, split --"_

_He was cut off by a metallic crash. "He's in the plant!" Robin shouted. The team took off, not needing to know what to do next. _

_Cyborg yelled aggressively as he punched the lock off the steel doors that led into the plant and kicked them open._

_The sludge monster was at the other end of the building with an empty waste barrel in his hand. He scooped it down into the untreated sewage water and then lifted up to his mouth and used it as a mug to guzzle the nasty fluid._

_The Titans watched with a horrified disgust as Plasmus grew larger and bulkier. The monster let out what would have sounded like a laugh if it was human._

_The only word Beast Boy could form was a drawn out "EWWW!"_

"_Bring him down before he gets his hands on anything else," Robin gave his orders and he again charged at Plasmus like before with his bo-staff twirling as he approached the creature._

"_Let's try not to end this like last time," Raven said, eyeing Beast Boy as she flew off to assist Robin._

_A few punches and blasts were exchanged before Plasmus was backed up against a railing. He looked behind himself and saw the raw sewage flow. With an inhumanly grin, he dove backwards into the flow._

_Robin ran to the railing and looked down in disbelief. Plasmus was growing larger, and undoubtedly stronger, with the vile mixture fueling him._

"_We really need to hit him hard. __NOW__," Raven said to Robin. He nodded knowingly and the team stood back. Starfire gathered energy for her Starbolts while Cyborg charged his sonic cannon while Robin had several high-explosive discs ready to be thrown._

_They estimated that would be enough, so Raven and Beast Boy stood back on the ready because they did not have anything to blow the monster to bits. They would have to make sure Plasmus did not get away if this attack failed._

_A loud gurgling erupted from sewage and an extremely enormous Plasmus leapt out. He had grown twice his normal size, with a semi-liquid residue dripping off his body._

_At that instant, Starfire, Cyborg, and Robin made their move. They fired the weapons at Plasmus, but he was too quick and effortlessly moved to the side and reduced himself to a stream of slime and slipped past the three dumbstruck Titans._

_The next person he spotted was Raven. The sudden gain in power made Plasmus even more of a mindless beast on a rampage. He shot a stream of sludge from his chest and it grabbed hold of Raven's legs before she could register what was happening. In the blink of an eye, she was pulled into Plasmus's mass. The surrounding toxin prevented Raven from breathing, and if any of the "new" Plasmus went down her throat she would surely choke to death, if not be poisoned by it. _

"_RAVEN!" Beast Boy screamed her name, fear resounding from his voice. The fear of losing a teammate, a friend… Raven. The fear of losing __her_

_Raven could barely hear the faint call of her name. The shock of being pulled into the creature began to wear off and she finally realized she needed air. Fast. She began to struggle._

_Plasmus seemed to be fighting her inside himself. Raven could feel her self being tossed around… No, she was being beaten around and she couldn't get an opportunity to concentrate. All of this struggling made holding her breath even harder._

_And all the while, the raging Plasmus swept violently at the other Titans, hindering their attempts to get to Raven._

_The monster shot globs of goo out from himself. The thick masses hit Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg as they all came up for another attack. They were immobilized, but Beast Boy swiftly avoided the globs, both anger and fear driving him forward. In cheetah form, he sprinted at Plasmsus. Using his powerful hind legs, he launched himself into the air at full speed. In mid-flight he morphed into an armadillo and curled up into a ball as he broke the surface of Plasmus's "flesh". The creature shrieked in a deafening tone._

_Inside, Beast Boy held his breath and blindly groped around, searching for Raven. He fought against the tumbling Plasmus was causing inside himself. Beast Boy pushed through the sludge, not daring to open his eyes, knowing that it would not bring any helpful or even healthy results._

_Then he felt something. It brushed lightly across his glove. He moved his hand back to where he felt the object. He grabbed it, but realized it was anything but flesh. It was something Plasmus had absorbed from the sewage. Beast Boy certainly did not want to know what __that__ could have been._

_Suddenly, he felt something grip his ankle. It tugged forcefully. Plasmus was trying to pull him out!_

'_I am NOT leaving without Raven,' he thought angrily._

_Beast Boy fought against the tug as hard as he could. Almost instinctively, he reached as if to grab hold something. Then he did grab something. It was a hand. A hand that was not grabbing back. _

_Beast Boy began fearing the worst. He decided to let Plasmus pull on him now that he was tightly gripping her hand, but he could feel resistance from where she was._

_Was Plasmus intentionally sparing him? Why hadn't he done the same to Raven? Why had he decided to kill her?_

'_Oh no you don't! You are not going to TAKE HER!'_

_If she wasn't so sure she was hearing his conscience, she would have thought he was screaming directly in her ear. She grasped back at the hand that was grasping hers, and then she felt it at least double in size as the grip became even stronger. She still not dared to open her eyes to see her rescuer. However, they were still struggling to move. She hadn't had a breath of air for far too long. Each second was the second she thought she wouldn't be able to last any longer. She didn't know how much longer her savior could last either._

_Once again, the hand clinging on to hers squeezed even tighter, becoming almost painful to her. She could feel herself slipping from consciousness. Was this the way she was going to go?_

'_Raven! Please don't give up! Not now! You've gone through too much to give up now! Please! PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP!'_

_She snapped back. In her mind, she recited her mantra. 'Azarath, metrion, ZINTHOS!' Her soul-self was released by her dark magic and she faded…_

----------

_Robin and the others watched in stupefied amazement as the monster struggled with itself for a few minutes that felt like forever. And then the creature began to bloat profusely._

_And as before, the goo exploded in a frenzy that scattered everywhere, revealing a small man and two others._

_Robin grinned when he spotted the black figure re-entering Raven's body. She had once used this move before on Plasmus. It happened the day Raven fulfilled her prophecy before she had even told them that The End was coming. Raven assumed the lotus position in mid-air and she chanted her mantra. A dark-energy figure that looked like Raven flew right into Plasmus, causing him to explode and knocking out the man that became Plasmus whenever he was awake. After that, she simply smiled, brushing her violet hair out of her slime-covered face and asked, "Who wants pizza?"_

_Robin smiled at the memory and he worked his way out of the remaining slop and looked over to Cyborg and Starfire who were doing the same. They both had faces of mixed emotions. Robin couldn't tell whether they were amazed, relieved, or still disgusted._

_The three made their way over to the scene. The man was in a peaceful slumber, snoring softly and completely unaware of the havoc he created._

_Beast Boy and Raven both lay sprawled out on the cold ground in a layer of sludge. They were holding each other's hand, their fingers gently laced. Raven looked as though she was down for the count, but Beast Boy stared at the ceiling with empty eyes._

_Beast Boy sighed. "I think we got him this time," he said softly and smiling weakly._

_Robin returned a weak smile. "I think you two--"_

"Raven! Let's go!"

* * *

**A/N's:**

That's it for the first chapter. Don't you love cliff hangers? I don't where I'm going with this, but I thought this was pretty good for just starting out.

It's one of those _**"**__**It's my first fic so don't burn me**__**"**_ type of feeling that I'm having right now. If you're going to criticize me, please be CONSTRUCTIVE so I may better my writing. It never did anyone any good to put someone down when they are just trying to get good at something.


	2. Relaxation in Simplicity

**CHAPTER 2: "Relaxation in Simplicity"**

Still leaning against the old oak tree, she cocked her head up to look into his emerald eyes. He looked back down at her with the same expression, much to her surprise.

His expression seemed… troubled, to say the least. How long had she been sitting there thinking? It looked as though he had had some time to do some extensive thinking himself, but like her, hadn't come upon any conclusions.

She simply nodded and pulled on her cowl (which had probably slipped off during her contemplation) and pushed her thoughts aside for now.

XXXXXXXXXX

Back at the tower, the Titans resumed their usual activities.

Robin was at the operations computer, monitoring activity in the city like he always did when he had nothing better to do.

Cyborg and Beast Boy sat next to each other on the couch, completely engulfed in their current video gaming endeavor.

Starfire was in the kitchen, playing with Silkie, her pest (mutant) silk worm. After the zorka berry incident, she had been struggling to find new things for the worm to eat. That had happened long, long ago, but the determined alien always tried new recipes and failed more than she succeeded, unfortunately.

And that left Raven, who was reading a book at the kitchen table. She grabbed an apple, having actually worked up somewhat of an appetite from skipping the picnic. However, she couldn't get past a single page of the book without her mind straying elsewhere. Her eyes would occasionally stray off too; over to _him_. She watched him, totally engaged in something that she couldn't possibly understand why he enjoyed.

She finally caught herself and resisted taking her eyes off the book in her hands, but she could no longer concentrate long enough to get any reading done. She sighed, shut the book, and walked over to the bay window. She lifted her feet off the ground to cross her them in mid-air. No one thought much of her actions because she would regularly go off to mediate, but she did not plan on meditating this time. She sat in a lotus position and starred absently into the bay before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes…

……

"_It looks like you two have had enough for one day," Robin said, smiling softly._

_Beast Boy nodded in agreement and looked over at the apparently unconscious Raven._

_She had been awake, but she did not bother to move or open her eyes. She didn't know exactly why she had chosen to do this, but she did, and it was too late to say anything now. Raven felt Beast Boy lift her up in her arms and he carried her to the T-Car. How he still had strength after their struggle with Plasmus baffled her. As she was placed in the car, she heard the sirens of the approaching police vehicles that would take the monster-in-a-man back to where he belonged, and where he'd hopefully not escape from again._

_Beast Boy laid her across the back row of the car and then walked away. Then voices caught Raven's attention._

"_No, I think I'll fly back," she heard Beast Boy say. He still sounded a bit weak._

_Cyborg was concerned. "You sure, B?"_

"_Yes, Beast Boy, you seem most weary," Starfire pointed out._

_Beast Boy dismissed their concern. "Don't worry, I'll get back alright," he said in a serious, but calm voice that, to Raven, seemed out of character._

_She heard Robin's voice next. "Okay, but I think you should rest when you get back," he instructed._

"_Don't worry," came Cyborg's teasing voice, "I'll make sure he does just that."_

_Raven was sure they were all smiling by this point. Cyborg was always the one to lighten the mood, whether he was trying to or not._

_After a few more moments, a car door opened and the vehicle tilted a little as someone sat down in the driver's seat._

"_It looks like you could use some rest too," he said to her._

_She remained motionless, not speaking a word or opening her eyes._

"_Come on, Raven, you're not fooling me."_

_She slowly but finally opened her and turned her head to look at the half-robotic man, who was still facing forward and putting his keys in the ignition. Once the engine revved up, he looked back at her with his stony grey eyes and grinned slightly._

"_You knew I was awake," she stated more as a fact rather than a question._

"_If Beast Boy could still be conscious after that, then you definitely should," he said wryly._

_She smiled back at him, clearly amused by the comment._

"_So, are you okay?" Cyborg prompted her. "That little move Plasmus pulled had you stuck in there for while… And it had us worried sick."_

"_Yeah, I think I'm fine," she replied simply._

"_You think?"_

"_Would it make you feel better if I said I was as right as rain?"_

_He chuckled at her dry remark. "No, that would probably make me even more worried."_

_Cyborg turned around to drive out of the treatment plant. Raven sat upright as they pulled onto the main road. Robin leaded on the R-cycle and Starfire flew overhead._

_Raven gazed out the window, watching the blur of the city lights whiz by. Cyborg remained concentrated on driving; fully knowing that Raven liked having time to herself. And finally having this time to herself, she began to think…_

_What did she think? Things like, 'How long of a shower will I need to get this stench off me?' and 'What kind of tea should I make? Mint? Chamomile? Essiac? Ginger root maybe?' and 'Will I get dizzy if I stare at these lights too long?'_

_She thought the random, pointless thoughts one's conscience might conjure when one had nothing of importance to think about._

_Surprisingly, nothing was bothering her… at the time. And she knew it too. But soon after coming to this realization, she began wondering, so then something started to nag at her._

_Why did she have to be so analytical? Why couldn't she have just stayed in that relaxed state of mind? But since when have things ever gone the way she wanted? (Well, recently, in any case.)_

_She was asking herself too many questions. Questions she always asked when something nagged at her like this. Questions that would just prevent her from resolving what had been nagging her in the first place._

_She banged her head on the car window and caught her breath. 'STOP IT! This won't help anything," she yelled at herself internally. 'Be calm, relax… Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos.' And with that, she exhaled slowly, relieving some of the tension that was building up._

_Raven turned her attention to what was troubling her already troubled mind._

'_Okay,' she began her deduction, 'why--'_

"Friend Raven!" exclaimed the joyous voice.

Raven winced as her concentration was broken and she snapped back to reality. "What?" she asked blatantly.

"Please, Raven, will you watch Silkie for me while I fetch a warm blanket?"

Raven's eyes went wide at the enlarged silkworm that was suddenly brought to eye-level with her. She nearly stumbled out of her lotus position in the air.

"Uh…"

The worm was forced into her arms before she could even start to reject.

"I thank you, Raven. I shall return momentarily," the alien blurted, smiley widely, before flying off and disappearing from the common room in a flash.

Starfire was an over-exuberant girl, but even Raven didn't like to put a damper on her enthusiasm. Raven looked down at the creature that rested in her arms. It seemed to be smiling at her, and little gurgling noises emitted from its throat. She lowered her legs to put them on the ground.

Though thoroughly disgusted, Raven just rolled her eyes and cradled Silkie in her arms, but still in her careless fashion. She again looked into its beady little eyes, and her features could not have been more void of expression. In contrast, the worm continued to show its care-free, baby-like smile.

"Uh…" Raven repeated, and she raised an eye brow as a thought came to her. Her voice was low and raspy, "Hello, my little… bumgorf?" she said unsurely and began to gently rock the worm in her arms.

Cyborg and Beast Boy both paused from their game stare at Raven.

And then after classic moment of utter silence, Cyborg broke into laughter, slapping his hand to his forehead.

Raven continued her current action, attempting to act as though Cyborg hadn't even done anything, but she couldn't help but frown as her reputation became oh so embarrassingly tarnished.

"How long does it take to get a blanket?" Raven muttered to herself. She was becoming agitated at her poor choice of words.

Normally, Beast Boy would have been laughing too. Hell, he would be pestering her to no end about it. However, he remained to himself and watched her. He smiled and his fang poked out from his lips.

Although she was clearly not enjoying this particular instant, Beast Boy noticed that the movement of her arms betrayed her outward expression. The motion of her arms looked… natural. Some part of him was simply awe-stricken that Raven could be _motherly,_ even if she didn't intend to be, but another part of him was happy to see this side of her, almost as if he had expected it, and that was the part that showed.

Before he had a chance to ponder further, a flash of red brought in a strong breeze and all of a sudden Starfire was standing in front of Raven.

Raven gladly handed Silkie over to her "k'norfka".

"Hello, my little bumgorf," Starfire said, echoing Raven.

Cyborg snickered and gave Raven a teasing wink. She glared at him, but Cyborg was unaffected.

Then she caught Beast Boy's thoughtful gaze. When he realized that their eyes had connected, he blushed and was too quick to turn to the television screen.

Beast Boy was too slow for Raven's sharp eye. She furrowed her brows in suspicion; he was acting strange. He hadn't laughed when Cyborg did, so something was definitely up. Beast Boy didn't take advantage of her predicament and start joshing around with her. No, he remained silent… but he still smiled. It wasn't his not his notorious, mischievous grin, but not necessarily happy either. It was contented more than anything else.

And what happened to Robin? She scanned the room. He was gone. Had he left before she was left with Silkie? Robin had always offered his help to her before, so Raven was beginning to think of going to find him. Perhaps if she did not come up with any conclusion of her own, she would have to take him up on his offer, but she thought this was not the time to do so.

She looked around at everyone that was still in the room.

Starfire was still attending to her "bumgorf" and Beast Boy and Cyborg were again hypnotized by the screen in front of them.

Raven sensed that both Starfire and Cyborg were not… "processing" that much information. A person normally wouldn't when concentrating so heavily on a video game or when carrying out tasks for a loved one.

Beast Boy, on the other hand, had thoughts swirling around his head. That would explain why Cyborg had so easily gained the lead and sped past Beast Boy's vehicle in the virtual raceway that consumed both of their _physical _attention so completely.

Raven's empathic abilities denied her from picking out direct thoughts, but she could still feel the emotions of others. If Beast Boy had her abilities, he would probably be wondering the same thing as her: '_What has him/her so occupied?_'

Raven took in a deep, chest heaving breath, and released it slowly. (She noticed she had been having to do that a lot lately.) She needed save herself from being so distraught again. She needed something to calm her nerves.

She floated over to the kitchen and filled up the tea kettle with water. After it filled enough to satisfy her, she used her magic to levitate it over to the stove, and with flick of the wrist, the dial for the front burner turned to the highest temperature. She put her hand on the counter behind her and leaned back.

She enjoyed utilizing her powers for such meager tasks, but she always made sure to never be dependent on them. What good would come from never using a single muscle in her body? A long time ago she made a promise to herself that she would not grow old and let her muscles shrivel or have her bones disintegrate. The thought of having to ride around on one of those mobility scooters just to get to the bathroom insider her own home sent a shiver up her spine.

Small ticking sounds came from inside the kettle as the water heated. She waited a minute or two until other thoughts entered her mind, pushing her concerns aside.

Raven looked over at the clock. '_Only about 5:00pm. Great, what else can I do before calling it a day?_' she mused and leaned further back on the counter.

That's when she noticed Starfire had left the room, along with Silkie, leaving her with the two couch potatoes.

She giggled and instantly brought a hand to her mouth. The thought of a bionic potato sitting next to a green one was just too irresistible. Fortunately, the two potatoes hadn't noticed her outburst and continued to play.

The ticks emanating from the bubbling water in the kettle began to compete with the constant clicks of the Game Station controllers. It would be at least another minute until the water would be ready, so she opened a cabinet revealing a whole stock of her tea. Referring back to ruminations from yesterday, she decided to go for the mint tea. She again chuckled slightly when she realized that she never did get her tea after the battle with Plasmus.

While preparing her mug, she also realized that she had been having these little moments when her mind was completely at ease. It started yesterday with the car ride home from the battle when she had been staring out the window, thinking about a nice long shower and tea… before her analytical side took over.

No, she couldn't say that she was happy, now or yesterday, but she was unbothered. She would be doing simple activities and be thinking those random, pointless, but also pleasant things. And that's what she was doing now: making tea and imagining very large potatoes where Beast Boy and Cyborg should have been. It had been no more than five minutes ago that she was trying to figure out something that concealed answers that were impossible to uncover. Now she just felt comfortable.

Before she could ponder more on the reasons for her well-being (and potentially ruin the moment she was having), the whistle of the steam shooting out of the tea kettle called her back to Earth.

Taking the tea kettle in her hand, she poured the hot liquid and listened to the sounds of the water sloshing around in the mug.

As she let the water sit to absorb the flavor from the tea bag, Raven stared into the mug like she did at the park. Unlike before, her features were softened; there was no trace of frustration. She even saw that her eyes seemed to be reflective and receptive all at once instead of hardened and icy cold.

Her over-active mind got the better of her again and the old habit came back.

'_When did I start looking so--_'

She never finished her thought as she became lost within the new face looking back at her.

Raven wasn't stupid; she knew she probably hadn't looked or felt this way since Trigon's downfall or Malchior. Malchior had lied and completely taken advantage of her, but she really did feel relaxed and content around him while it lasted.

The thing of it was, she also knew that she hadn't had _this kind _of moment before; this moment of complete simplicity and comfort, that is, until yesterday. That much she was sure of. If she had felt like this before, she would have remembered.

As she returned her gaze back into the mug, the old frustration returned to her face again.

'_Too many questions,_' she scolded herself, and left it at that.

She let the aroma of the tea flow in through her nose and then took a small sip. She once again looked back into the mug and she appeared less agitated.

She smiled. "Never fails," she said triumphantly. Tea had always proved to be a valuable remedy. That's why she always drank it.

She remembered all the times someone had told her it was not wise to put important matters off 'till later; how certain things should be dealt with as soon as possible.

'_Screw that,_' she thought defiantly. Oh, how she loved being rebellious.

Raven sat back down at the kitchen table and took small sips of her tea. She didn't need to think right now, especially not after she had gotten used to the idea of sitting around aimlessly.

XXXXXXXXXX

Around 6:00pm, and after two and a half hours of game play, Cyborg and Beast Boy raised their derrières off the sofa. Cyborg stretched languidly while stifling a yawn. Beast Boy morphed into a cat and stretched the way a feline knows best.

Raven had finished her tea thirty minutes ago, but she stuck around to meditate. Neither Robin nor Starfire had returned. She had moved back to the bay window, but faced away from it this time. There she slowly repeated her mantra. She managed to successfully meditate a full half hour, outside her room, with Beast Boy and Cyborg, _uninterrupted. _With the way things were at the Tower, this was a hard feat to accomplish.

And considering how well things had gone for her in the past hour, she really didn't even have to meditate. She did it simply for the lack of anything better to do.

It was Cyborg's protruding voice that finally broke her concentration.

"Man, I totally whipped your green butt," he gloated.

Raven opened an eye and peered at the two. Beast Boy was clearly not happy.

"Only because you play this game more than anyone else here," the changeling shot back.

"And that's exactly the reason why I won," Cyborg countered, uncaring of Beast Boy's remark.

Raven saw an opportunity to wipe the previous tarnish off her repute.

"Please," she cut in, "both of you waste what little lives you have in front of that thing just as much as the other."

They inched their heads around to look at Raven scornfully.

She gave them a toothy smile. "I'm always here to give my two cents worth," she said with a mock 'you're welcome' tone.

"Yeah, well, I still won," Cyborg said in a low voice, unable to match Raven's wittiness. Beast Boy didn't bother to try to make a come-back.

Raven just shook her head at the pathetic duo.

Then the three fell silent for a moment before Cyborg finally spoke up again.

"Hmm… Bit of a slow day, don't you think?" he asked, attempting to keep at least somewhat of a conversation alive.

Beast Boy and Raven both nodded. It was true, everyone went about their normal activities, then there was the picnic, and now everyone had resumed those normal activities. There wasn't a single call for help. Either the prisons were finally getting up to speed, or the Titans were just getting so good that villains simply didn't even try anymore.

Cyborg was lost at their chosen response, or rather, lack of one. He scratched his head and looked for something else to say before deciding that conversation wasn't working.

"Okay then, I'm gonna go buff the T-car. See ya'll later."

And with that, he left, leaving Beast Boy and Raven the only ones remaining in the common room.

Beast Boy looked at Raven nervously. "Uh… you wanna have a go at Mega Monkeys Five?"

"Not really," she said impassively.

He smiled. "Of course, what was I thinking?"

'I wish I knew the answer to that,' she thought.

She remained as emotionless as ever. His smile faded as he searched for something else to say.

He tried again. "Um… do you want me to leave you alone then?"

"No, it's okay," she replied.

Her eyes drifted away from him. He wasn't sure if she was avoiding his eyes or if something had caught her attention.

'_One moment she's smiling and making fun of Cyborg and me, then he leaves, and now she goes back to being… Raven,_' he cogitated.

He wasn't sure why things had gotten so awkward, but he had a hunch.

"Raven?" he began. It wasn't until he said this that he realized she was no longer standing in front of him. He whipped his head from side to side in search of her.

"Hmm?"

He whirled around and found her sitting at the kitchen table with the book she had been reading earlier.

He released the breath he had been unconsciously holding and walked over to sit across from her before continuing. "Are you…" he didn't know how to ask, "…still, uh… a little weirded out about yesterday with the whole Plasmus thing?"

She shook her head. "No, why do you ask?" She put the book down and rested her arms on the table.

He wondered how her simplest of responses could trigger such nervousness in him.

"Ever since then you've, uh, kinda been ignoring me," he said, but the look she gave him made him realize that his answer did not make much sense. "Well, more than usual, anyway," he finished.

It took Raven a moment to answer. "Okay, so maybe I am."

He looked surprised by her admission.

"But only a little," she reminded him to make sure he wouldn't make a big deal out of it.

"Wow, I never thought that _you_, of all people, would admit to that."

He slapped his hand to his mouth, but it was too late.

"I'm not as shut up from the world as you believe me to be," she countered, but she was unusually calm and she didn't seem offended the slightest bit. This alleviated Beast Boy's nervousness.

"Yeah, but you're no open book either," he pointed out, still in a friendly manner.

"You got me there," she said and smiled at him.

He loved it when she smiled like that. He always tried to get her to do it, but he never imagined that this talk would bring one on. Her smile was natural and unplanned, something she didn't do very often. He couldn't help but smile back.

"Is there something else you wanted to say?" she asked, breaking his trance.

"No," he answered. He continued to smile, even though hers had faded.

"There is something I need to tell you, actually," she said monotonously.

Her tone caused him to lose his smile and look back at her seriously. He nodded for her to continue.

"Thanks," she said quickly before looking down at the table, avoiding his gaze yet again.

He was taken aback by this. "What?" he inquired. _'Where did _that_ come from_?' he wondered.

"I never thanked you."

"What are you talking about?"

How he could be _that_ oblivious Raven would never know, but he _was_ Beast Boy, so she let it slide.

"I never thanked you…" She paused. "…for saving my life. I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner."

He finally understood what she was talking about.

Her voice sounded sad. She still didn't lift her head and strands of violet hair fell forward, hiding her face from him.

"Raven, you don't have to thank me. You're my friend. I'd do anything to help you. And so would Starfire, Robin, and Cyborg. I just happened to be the only one still able to move."

He didn't mention how panicked and afraid he had been when he saw her get dragged into Plasmus.

She finally looked up at him. Her face may have been blank, but her eyes were full of emotion that was begging to be set free.

"No," she said, "you risked your own life to save mine. That's something that should be repaid with more than just a measly 'thank you'."

"Really, it's okay, you don't need to thank me and you don't need to be sorry," Beast Boy comforted. He reached out to put his hand on her shoulder. It was risky, but he was relieved to see that she did not move away.

"No, it's not okay," she retorted, her volume growing. "I've never really thought much about it before, not even when I knew I would become the portal that would bring my father to this world but…" She cringed internally at the memory of her father, but she knew now was not the time to dwell on her past. "…I almost died. I almost _died_, Beast Boy!"

Her eyes grew teary, but she refused to let them fall. "And the thought of you dying… the thought of you dying to save me is unbearable! You should have never put your life in jeopardy just for mine."

Her eyes watered more and more with every word.

Where was all this coming from? Before she was refusing to play Mega Monkeys Five with a manner that can only be described as "Raven", and now she was on the verge of crying!

Beast Boy moved his other hand to her other shoulder and squeezed gently. He decided not to say anything for if he tried to counter her again, '_She'd probably end up crying into my chest,_' he thought.

She continued to sit there with her head lowered, fighting off the tears that were drowning her eyes while Beast Boy just held her shoulder from across the table. It pained him to see her like this. He would never tell her that it did; he had to bide in silence for both their sakes.

Eventually she did calm down and successfully restrain herself from crying. What a disaster that would have been if she hadn't. And worst of all, she would have felt in a way she never wanted to feel: vulnerable. She had to stay strong; never have to rely on others.

Her mind began working in proper order again. '_I probably would have been crying into his chest,_' she figured, '_Not to mention that a couple valuable items in here would be destroyed._'

They moved back to their original positions across the table from one another.

Once he was sure she wasn't going to break down again, he felt it was safe to ask. "Please don't get mad at me, but I don't think I've ever seen you… this way."

He didn't want say "emotional" or anything else that might contradict her beliefs about herself.

She kept eye contact with him this time, her back to its usual monotone. "I have been before," she admitted again, "you were just never around to see it." She dried her eyes with her hands. She never liked tears, they always made her eyes itch.

When he didn't respond, she decided to switch the subject. Their friendship had actually grown over the past few years of being Titans. She never believed that it would grow, but it did, and she was glad to be able to talk to him about these things. Before, Robin had been the only one she talked to, but now she found herself to talking to all of her friends more often, actually.

"Hey Beast Boy?" she asked shyly.

"Yeah, Rae?" He only called her that when they both felt completely comfortable around each other.

"Have you ever had a time when you're…" she wasn't sure how to put it, "not exactly happy, but nothing seems wrong either?"

He contemplated on that for a moment. "I don't know. Probably, but there's not an exact time I can remember right now."

She let out a laugh. "I would guess not," she taunted.

He glared at her playfully and started to laugh also.

After a few seconds they caught themselves and blushed at the awkward moment before turning away from each other.

After recomposing herself, Raven continued. "When you and Cyborg were playing your video game, and when I was making tea, I felt something I'm not sure I have ever felt before."

She began to sound like her normal, apathetic self, but her eyes still contained some trace of emotion in them.

Beast Boy motioned for her to continue.

"I felt completely relaxed. Nothing on was on my mind… nothing important, anyway."

He quirked a brow.

"I was having pointless thoughts; just spur-of-the-moment type things." She didn't feel the need to explain to him that she imagined him as a giant green potato.

He could tell she wasn't going to enlighten him on those supposedly "pointless" thoughts, so he decided on answering her previous question.

"Oh yeah, now I think I know what you mean; like when you just sit back on your bed and listen to some good music. Yeah, I feel like that a lot of times," he said as remembrance of the feeling came to him. "I can imagine why this is a little freaky, especially for you (no offense)."

"None taken."

"I hope you're NOT gonna try avoid feeling that way?" he asked hopefully.

"Don't worry, I won't. I wouldn't pass up a chance to be free of my conscience and not have my powers go haywire. I just needed to know if other people felt this way because like you said, it's a little 'freaky', especially for me." She smirked.

Beast Boy grinned before yawning and standing up from the table to stretch his arms to the ceiling. He never liked sitting around unless he was playing a videogame or watching a movie.

He sighed and moved his neck to get rid of a kink. "Those relaxed moments are awesome. I love feeling that way."

He looked back at her only to find her playful smirk gone and frown in its place.

"But you haven't felt that way recently, have you?"

* * *

**A/N's: **

Okay, lots of little notes for you guys. : )

I'm finding it hard to believe that I was able to make this chapter longer than the last, even if only by short length. I had fun writing this one, so I hope you at least enjoyed it, if not had fun. I found myself using semicolons more than usual, lol.

And sorry I don't have much of Starfire and Robin or their coupling, but I assure you will see more of Robin. I'm not so sure about Starfire, but Robin will play a big role in the 4th chapter.

Please stick with me on this one!

Chapter 3 will be an "explaining, but still not really answering anything" chapter, so don't ask me why Raven was able to calm herself like that or why she all of a sudden showed so much emotion towards Beast Boy. I'll include details about that in the next chapter.


	3. Resolved?

**Pre-note:** Finally, after a serious case of writer's block, I've finally got the third chapter of this story done. It was one of those things where I had the motivation to write, but no ideas. The result is a relatively short chapter, considering how long my other two chapters are. **This one was really difficult to write.** I'm not particularly proud of it, but it's necessary.

And I'm constantly finding things to fix, so once I finish Part I of this story (chapters 1-6), I'll be taking another big break to go back and edit some things I still don't like about it. It's mostly subtle things, but it makes a difference to me. Seriously, there are some things in chapter 2 that I absolutely hate. I just hope I make it better instead of worse.

* * *

**CHAPTER 3: "Resolved?"**

He blinked at her. As he thought about her question, he realized he hadn't been relaxed recently… not completely. 'When was the last time I felt that way?" he pondered. 'I guess I've had a lot on my mind lately. The last time I can remember feeling _that_ relaxed was before…'

His eyes widened. He understood what Raven was getting at. Raven hadn't specified on how recent "recently" meant, but he got the idea.

"Um… yeah, I guess I haven't," he replied.

She simply nodded.

They both knew there was still a matter at hand. The confrontation with Plasmus did not go along the lines of what they would have expected from a battle with him. It had ended… differently, to say the least, especially for Raven and Beast Boy. It hadn't been one of those_ "thanks-for-pulling-me-out-of-the-way, I-owe-you-one"_ type things. It had been a situation of life or death, one that had affected the two greatly. That much was made obvious by Raven's "little" outburst of emotion. It had laid some issues to rest, but it still didn't explain some of the curious feelings they were experiencing.

Raven sighed. She was doing something she normally wouldn't do. Prying. She didn't even want to, but she needed answers.

"Beast Boy," she began,"earlier, when Starfire left me with Silkie, I know I must have looked foolish, but I noticed you didn't have any of your 'usual' comments for me."

Beast Boy remained silent, not sure if he wanted to respond to that. He thought she looked far from foolish, but he was too afraid to actually say that.

Convinced he had nothing to say, Raven continued. "I also noticed you were a little quick to turn back to your game when I looked to you."

Beast Boy still did not speak, so Raven again continued, hoping to eventually lift a response from him. "At first, I let it slide and was going to leave the room, but I began to pick up on your emotions."

Beast Boy was becoming very nervous, but he still waited anxiously for Raven to continue. All during this conversation, Raven kept an eerie calm that Beast Boy had never heard from her before, which made him even more nervous.

"And you know that because I'm an empath I can only feel emotions, not read thoughts. That's why I asked you if you haven't been relaxed lately; I could feel that you have been stressing over… something."

She knew what that something was… _her_. But now was not the time to put the poor boy on the spot; he looked uncomfortable enough. So she patiently waited for a response.

In all honesty, Beast Boy had been dreading where the empathic girl was leading this talk. However, he knew he would not escape without an answer. He built up the courage to speak and went with what his conscience was telling him.

"Raven, ever since Plasmus trapped you," he scowled at the creature's name, "I've been worried. Our friendship has really grown over the years, and I was afraid to let that go."

Raven couldn't argue with that.

"Even though you still ignore me and don't think I'm funny, I know that we really are friends. And it was like you said: 'The thought of you dying was unbearable.' Our differences don't matter, we're a family. I mean all five of us. We. Are. Family. So what happened yesterday got me so worried. I've been concentrating my brain on you so much because of that mess."

"Then you and I are both more than just a little shaken from yesterday," Raven stated, the light bulb in her mind flickering on. She knew what this was all about. "We're still trying to get over what happened. It's not easy to move on after your life has been so close to being taken… Trust me." She looked at him and he nodded, understanding what she was implying. "This has never happened between us before, it's no wonder we feel awkward now."

Beast Boy couldn't agree more. He was relieved that Raven's logical expertise resolved this situation because he was sure he wouldn't have been able to. It didn't sit very well with either of them when something was there to work them up.

They shared a smile before standing up in the table booth. Beast Boy had nothing else to say on the subject. There was only one thing he wanted to her to know.

"I'm glad you're okay, Raven."

The way he said it made Raven's mood brighten significantly. It was simple, but sincere. "I'm glad you're okay, too," Raven mumbled out from her side of the table, pulling her cowl on.

This time, Raven was too slow for Beast Boy's eyes. He could make out the slightest hint of a blush on her pale cheeks. He silently laughed to himself at Raven's feeble attempts to appear unbreakable and emotionless.

He made a toothy grin and extended his hand across the table like he was some corporate executive. Raven rolled her eyes and gave his hand a strong, business-like shake.

"I'm going to go to my room. I need to get some actual reading done," she said, making her way out of the booth and over to the sink to wash her mug. When she was finished, she headed to the double doors that lead to the living-quarters hallway.

Although they had resolved things, Beast Boy wasn't convinced that she was completely stable. It wasn't often that Raven would open up to someone. Hell, Raven was on the brink of redecorating the common room in the _worst possible way_.

"Hey, do you want me to walk you back to your room?" he offered kindly.

She was already at the doors. She stopped, but did not look back at him.

"I think I'm old enough to cross the street."

And there it was. The same dry, deadpan Raven had returned as if she had never left. Although the tone of her voice was void of any real expression, the playful humor that was deep with it was not lost for a second. Beast Boy decided to play along. "Well, I think I'm old enough to chauffer the ladies around."

She finally twisted around to look him in the eyes. Her face was all straight lines, but the shine in her violet orbs couldn't have shone any brighter.

"Stick to you video games," she said, the humor making its way to the surface one last time.

And with that, the double doors opened and she stepped through.

……

Raven let her suppressed smile to show freely when the doors closed behind her, but she only made it a few steps down the hall before she stopped dead in her tracks. She had the feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was wrong. How could it be? Hadn't she just made things right? She just had a serious conversation, but it had seemed more than that. Almost as if it was… No, she could never have one of _those_ conversations with Beast Boy. It was no different than the time she had comforted Beast Boy after their ordeal with The Beast. But if it was no different, then why didn't it feel that way?

Raven picked up a brisk pace towards her room and massaged her temples. "Now I really need to meditate," she muttered, now regretful she hadn't done so earlier.

……

Of course she was right. How could she not have been? They were both feeling the aftershocks of the horrible experience. It was plain and simple. Everything was fine.

Beast Boy whistled to himself as he leisurely went about grabbing a soda from the refrigerator. After picking out his fizzy drink, he walked over to the couch and popped a squat right in the center. He reached for the remote and put his feet up on the coffee table before him. Taking a sip from the can, he pressed the power button and the over-sized LCD monitor came to life.

Yes, now this is how he wanted to spend his time on a slow afternoon, or evening rather. It was a quarter past 6pm, so no doubt the Titans would be eating dinner soon. One thing he didn't understand though is why Raven left when she knew they would probably be eating soon. The Titans pretty much had a regular eating schedule, minus those few nights they were out comprehending villains… or watching movies, either way. Beast Boy decided he would remain in the common room only until dinner was finished, but then that meant he had another several hours ahead of him before he would go to bed. Video games would not cut it; he had already played for two and half hours straight. As much as the others didn't think it was possible, Beast Boy _did _infact have a limit on his game play, although that limit was always subject to vary from one or two hours to all afternoon and into the wee hours of the morning.

Now, though, he was just glad to kick back and relax. He was thankful for two things. One being Raven's input on such a frustrating matter and two being how activity around the city had slowed down. The incident with Plasmus the day before had been the only call in eleven days. The Jump City Police Department was able to take care of the other usual robberies and cases of vandalism. And with no escapes from the prison that held the Brotherhood of Evil captive (besides Plasmus), _real_ villains only came once in a blue moon. Such villains being nuisances like Plasmus, Dr. Light, and Red X. Brother Blood was still powerless, thankfully. Blackfire was somewhere in the universe. And Slade had gone back into hiding, but he would come back again. No doubt they'd all come back again; they always do. Beast Boy, however, was sure this would not be for a long time.

He aimlessly flipped through channels in the fashion that only a guy can: turning to each channel and giving it less than half a second before deciding that there was nothing good on it. But because he was Beast Boy, he only needed that less-than-half-a-second to decide if whatever was showing was any good.

After a few minutes, Beast Boy gave a disappointed "humph" at the screen.

'What's with TV these days? Infomercials, soap operas, reality TV, _Desperate House Wives_? Dude, they should make some kind of cool action show,' he mused. '…a show about me. Maybe a show about all us superheroes and it would never be cancelled.' He chuckled at the silly idea. 'Yeah, that'll be the day.'

He continued to surf channels, but came up empty-handed. Then another thought came to him. And once again, he laughed at himself for thinking such a thing. 'I kinda wish I was still talking to Raven. She certainly caught my attention more than any of these lame shows ever will.'

He began to reflect on the conversation they shared. He didn't know she was capable of opening up that much. It wouldn't have been so shocking if he didn't know her, of course, but after several years around a calm, quiet, separated-from-society Raven, it had been quite a sight to see.

And all this pondering brought him back to his thoughts right after she left the room to go do God knows what. She said she was going to go read, but for some reason he doubted that. To meditate, perhaps? No, Beast Boy remembered stealing a couple glances at her meditating while he and Cyborg were duking it out on the Game Station.

Beast Boy's unconsciously moving thumb ceased clicking the channel button on the remote as his thoughts froze for a second.

'Wait! Stealing glances? Dude, was I checking her out? No, if I was doing _that_ then I would have been staring and… Dammit Beast Boy, don't think about that now!'

He remembered other things. When Raven was left with Silkie, Beast Boy found himself rather enjoying the moment. Not at Raven's expense, but at Raven herself. He enjoyed watching Raven as she rocked the mutant larva in her arms like a caring mother, even if her facial expression was screaming how much she disliked the position she had been placed in. Something about it made him feel relaxed; content, like he was having one of "those moments" she had brought up during their conversation. She had mentioned that she picked up his emotions at that time, but apparently she failed to detect the content ones. She had caught him off guard when their eyes connected after Raven handed Silkie back to Starfire, so she picked up the stressed emotions caused by his nervousness.

Raven sensed that he hadn't been relaxed, thus the reason for her question: _"But you haven't felt that way recently, have you?" _He responded by saying he hadn't been, but apparently he did, according to the situation with Silkie.

So were Raven's conclusions about their feelings… _wrong_? Sure, back at the park Beast Boy was frustrated with her, but it was just that: _frustration_. He was not worried or trying to get over what happened with Plasmus like she had suggested.

Just then the doors to the common room swooshed open and Robin and Starfire walked in, closely followed by a grease-covered Cyborg.

"Alright, y'all! Who's up for ravioli?" Cyborg boomed.

Then Raven appeared right behind him. Remembering that the TV was still on, Beast Boy turned it off and stood up from the couch. He looked at Raven for a moment. 'Now I think I know how it feels to be interrupted from deep thought.'

He let out a sigh before going to join his friends for dinner at the kitchen table.

XXXXXXXXXX

The door slid open and she stepped into the confines of her dark room. She locked the door and continued on. Numerous scented candles lit as she passed by them, illuminating her room enough to be able to read. She did plan on reading, however.

She went down to sit on the edge of her bed and looked at the antique clock conveniently placed on her night stand. "Quarter after six. Doesn't give me much time until someone knocks on my door and asks me to come to dinner," she grumbled.

Raven sure hoped that no one would disturb her, even though that was unlikely. This was one of those instances where any slight interruption would set her off. It didn't help that she was already fighting back emotions that were attempting to break free ever since her "little" break down. It was a good sign, though, that she was able to keep her cool after it happened. She still managed to have an engaged, serious, and necessary conversation with Beast Boy. Despite the circumstances, she caught herself smiling and even giggling a couple times whenever the mood was lightened between them.

But she could deny the fact her emotions were dangerous… very dangerous, so meditating is what she did to keep those emotions in check. She needed to meditate _now_.

Raven hovered a few inches off her bed. With Starfire's intrusion earlier, she began to think that floating five feet off the ground was not such a good idea in a place like Titan's Tower.

In her lotus, she relaxed her muscles and took in deep breaths as she focused on finding her center.

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos. Azarath, metrion, zinthos. Azarath, metrion, zinthos…"

Once she found her center, she stopped repeating her mantra and concentrated on the boiling emotions within her to bring them back down to a simmer and eventually back to solid ice. She also had the time to contemplate when she did this. She seemed to be doing nothing but thinking in the last twenty-four hours.

She was now in a state of complete ease and began to compare the current feeling with the one she had felt in the common room when she was preparing her tea. They were both states of relaxation, but they were totally different in the context that relaxation meant for them. What she was doing now gave her a far away feeling, like she had left Earth temporarily to drift in space with no purpose or direction. She didn't need to worry about anything. The other, however, made her feel warm inside, like it put the "half-full" perspective in place instead of the "half-empty" perspective. Was that being truly content? Even if it lasted only for mere minutes at a time?

What was also different was how each state was reached. In meditation, Raven need to search for a balance to be able to feel the relaxation she sought. But in the other form, it came unintentionally. Naturally. It was always a surprise when she finally realized that it was happening, but that warm feeling would disappear once she came to this realization. And because it was so rare for her to come across these moments, she could remember each instance. The clearest in her mind were when she was making tea, the day before when she was in the T-Car thinking about tea, and as much as she despised the memory, when she was with Malchior.

Raven felt herself falter in her concentration. The pain had never gone away completely. The memory of Malchior would be with her forever. He said he had been waiting for her. He was the first to tell her she was beautiful. She believed everything he said… they were all lies. How could she forget how he took advantage of her? How could she forget the one who broke her heart? Raven did not realize she gave her heart to him until it was too late.

The best she could do was say _"It's in the past now"_ and hope to move on, even if all of those thoughts still lingered. She forced those memories back into a locked chest in her mind just as she had done with the book that contained the con-artist. She never got rid of that book; it remained untouched since the day it was locked away. She was afraid to touch it.

'Damn him,' she thought furiously. With one final curse at the dragon, she began the process of regaining the balance she had lost.

She inhaled… "Azarath, metrion, zinthos. Azarath, metrion, zinthos…" …slowly releasing the breath with each word.

After three or four minutes, Raven allowed her mind to wander again. She replayed the day's events all the way up to where she was now. In doing this, she also remembered the reason why she chose to meditate in the first place.

Did she make things right between her and Beast Boy? Or had she not? It all seemed fine and dandy when they were speaking to each other. They were still feeling the repercussions of their brush with death… right? They were still shaken up… right? Beast Boy was worried for her as she was for him… right?

She wasn't so certain of that anymore. That's one thing she hated: uncertainty. She lived with the certainty that she was destined to bring uncomprehensible horror to the world and die in the process, but now that she had overcome that fate, she had her whole life ahead of her, just as Robin had put it.

_Knock knock._

"Hey, Raven, time for dinner."

"Think of the devil," she muttered. Raven lowered herself to her bed before standing up and trudging over to the door of her room. The door slid open and revealed the smiling Boy Wonder standing behind it.

"I take it you'll be joining us?' he asked nonchalantly.

"I suppose," she replied, her voice indifferent.

He nodded in approval and headed off to catch up with Starfire and Cyborg, who were just down the hall.

Raven stood there at the doorway, ruminating. She wished she had more time to sort out her complicated feeling, but the truth be told, she was hungry.

She walked down the hall toward the common room. As she neared the double doors she could hear Cyborg from the other side. "Alright, y'all! Who's up for ravioli?"

The doors opened for her and she saw Beast Boy turning off the TV. He stood up from the couch and turned around. They caught each other's gaze, but after a small sigh, he went to join their friends at the kitchen table. Raven followed and sat down across from him like they were before. He sought her eyes again, but this time she rejected.

* * *

**A/N's:**

And once again I leave you with a cliffhanger!

Not sure if I like it, but it was an important chapter, imo. I think the conversation between Raven and Beast Boy at the beginning of the chapter was the most difficult to write and it's still a little shaky. This chapter is still not perfect, nor will it ever be.

I had to mess with some things that happened in the show, though. In the show, Malchior (the dragon) was freed somehow, but eventually sent to another dimension by Harold during the final battle in the episode _Titan's Together_. I for one don't see how the Brotherhood of Evil could have possibly freed him, as none of them were sorcerers/sorceresses like Raven. Plus, I don't think it would have been that easy to get into Titan's Tower and free the dragon. So in my little world, Malchior is still in the book, locked away in a chest.

**And please, if you have any suggestions or advice, don't hesitate to tell me. I'm open to CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. This applies to to everything; this story and all it's chapters and my other story and all its chapters.**


	4. What Problem?

**CHAPTER 4: "What Problem?"**

"Yo, pass the salt!"

Beast Boy nearly fell off of his chair. He was so lost in his own thoughts that it took Cyborg three tries to get his attention. He was just about ready to chuck a bowl of ravioli in Beast Boy's face, except the changeling had already hung his head back down.

Beast Boy didn't even look up from his untouched food as he wearily scooted the salt in Robin's direction. He gave him a questioning look before sliding the traveling condiment over to Raven. When she didn't do anything about it, Robin lightly nudged her elbow, which happened to be on the table because her arm was propped up to support her chin in her hand. And just that little nudge was enough to cause her elbow to slip and send her falling forward. Luckily, she was able to save herself from an unceremonial face plant in her still-full bowl of ravioli. Quickly recovering, she passed the long-awaited salt to an impatient Cyborg then went back into an impassive slump.

Their unresponsiveness did not go unnoticed. Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg all had a look of inquiry on their faces as they exchanged glances and studied their two seemingly lifeless friends. Beast Boy suddenly felt three pairs of eyes on him and began eating hastily while Raven felt the uneasiness in the room and just started to nibble on her dinner.

Cyborg, whose appetite outweighed his curiosity at the time, shrugged it off and began woofing down on his meat-stuffed ravioli. Starfire, who never liked awkward silences, too began eating although she had nervous feelings in the pits of her stomachs. Robin, on the other hand, never let these things breeze by. After a few minutes, the two emotionless lumps had reverted back to not eating. He looked from Raven, to Beast Boy, to Raven, and back to Beast Boy again. He needed to test them.

"Hey Beast Boy, you find anything good on T.V. for tonight?"

It was a stupid topic, that Robin knew, but he needed to shoot the bull in order to see if Beast Boy was really paying attention.

"Yeah, sure," came the jade-skinned boy's delayed answer.

"Like what?"

Beast Boy poked at his cooling dish with his fork. "Maybe…"

Robin quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, by the way, we completely dismantled your room and threw out all your junk."

At this point, Starfire and Cyborg ceased eating again, both at mid-chew. Cyborg had his fork halfway to his mouth. They were staring at Robin, curiosity exuding from their expressions.

"Cool," Beast Boy mumbled.

"Okaaaay then," Robin stated suspiciously and then turned to see that only two of the remaining Titans held interest in his experiment.

"Hey, Raven, is that Silkie over there eating the book of Azar?" Robin asked, hoping for some form of reaction.

She didn't say anything; she remained in her own little shell.

Robin looked back at his two alert comrades and made gestures towards Raven and Beast Boy. "Any of you have any–"

"No idea what's wrong with 'em," Cyborg supplied.

"Perhaps we should do something?" Starfire inquired.

"Uh… let's wait till after dinner," Robin decided and looked at the two in question. "That is, if they ever finish dinner," he said with a sigh.

And with that, they went back to finishing their meals.

Beast Boy had too much to be concerned about to even consider eating. He knew that he should eat, but sometimes certain states of mind could deter even the hungriest soul from satiating their appetite. Raven… she consumed his thoughts; how she looked at him just as they were joining their friends for dinner, how all of a sudden she started ignoring him. Now he knew something wasn't right. Not necessarily wrong, but far from right nonetheless. He had cogitations that could not be ignored swirling around in his head. His troubling thoughts had resumed as soon as he as sat down for dinner. Raven's had too, no doubt about that. But what was she thinking _exactly_? Sometimes he would give up anything just to have ability to feel other people's emotions, just so he could get an idea of the emotions behind the thoughts she was having. Beast Boy knew she would say that he should never want any of her abilities, but Beast Boy couldn't help yearn for them sometimes. In a way, he envied them… he envied her.

Something in his mind clicked and he was glad no one was staring at him now, for his eyes widened and his jaw nearly went slack. He wasn't sure what that click was or what it meant, but he felt less like there was a serious problem between him and Raven What he felt now was just confusing and causing uncertainty. However, it was also a little unnerving. He needed to figure out what this feeling he was having was.

Raven, on the other hand, was still in the darkness of her own troubled thoughts. She hadn't even bothered to make it seem as though she was fine on the outside. And by _not_ hiding this fact, there were sure to be repercussions, which were sure to follow dinner. Maybe if she never finished her ravioli, maybe dinner would never end and she would never have to answer any questions. Or maybe, she could find a way to lose herself in her own mind so that her friends would eventually forget about her. Hopefully she would forget about herself too…

Oh how she hated feeling this way. She hated herself for thinking those kinds of things. It escaped her why her mind would conjure such thoughts. She would get passed this; this wasn't anything that would change her life, or at least that is what she hoped. It was just Beast Boy… No, it was more than just Beast Boy the person. It was Beast Boy the friend, the teammate, the innocent soul, and the bond she shared with him.

'_How dare Plasmus screw everything up like this,'_ she thought.

It took her a few moments to realize that maybe this wasn't about Plasmus. He had jump-started this whole predicament, but it no longer concerned the mishap that occurred at the sewage plant. And that is what caused most of her uncertainty: Who and what was this really about? She could admit that the events of the battle had affected her greatly, but she was a superhero. Danger and even death were part of the job. So Plasmus was definitely out. Now that the "who" part of the problem had been answered, she need to figure out the "what".

She would need to save that for later because she felt another nudge on her arm. She saw a slightly annoyed Robin holding an empty bowl and giving her a look that said "move it". He had probably wanted to move for a while now, considering his current expression.

'_So much for dinner never ending,'_ she thought and scooted out of the booth, grabbing her still mostly-full bowl of ravioli.

"Uh, I guess I'll wrap this up for tomorrow," she said stolidly and walked over to a drawer containing plastic wrap.

Beast Boy, whose stomach eventually persuaded him to eat, proceeded over to the sink to give his empty bowl to Robin. It was Robin's turn to do the dishes and Beast Boy couldn't have been more thankful. Robin would be occupied for a while, so that meant he could get back to his room before the Boy Wonder could find something to lecture him about. He handed Robin his dirty dish with a fake smile. There was really nothing to be smiling about; he still needed to figure something out.

Robin returned a queer look. Right before Beast Boy could turn to head out of the common room, Robin spoke up.

"So Beast Boy, things going okay?"

Beast Boy stopped walking, surprised by the question. "What?" he asked for clarification.

Robin sighed. "I said 'how are things going?'"

'_Doing the dished and talking at the same time?'_ Beast Boy speculated in his mind. _'Ooh, that son of a–'_

"Uh, how are things going? Okay, I guess," Beast Boy finally responded.

"You sure?" Robin asked him, not believing him one bit.

"Yeah." Beast Boy paused. "Why do you ask?" he shot back, wanting to know the reason for his fearless leader's sudden curiosity.

"Because it doesn't seem that way," Robin said bluntly, albeit not harshly. He neatly placed the rag he was using back on the rack and he opened the dishwasher to put in a few glasses.

Beast Boy stood there watching Robin casually carrying out the simple routine like a programmed machine. It was a task Beast Boy found difficult to accomplish. This all happened in a matter of seconds, but to Beast Boy each second took a minute.

"What do you mean?" The changeling knew very well what Robin was digging for, but he felt the need to ask anyway.

"In the middle of dinner you were pretty out of it," Robin explained. _'And Raven too,'_ he added internally.

"It took Cyborg three times just to get you to pass the salt, and then you just kind of secluded yourself all over again. I know there is something on your mind that's bothering you."

Robin kept an even tone; the last thing he wanted to do was get on Beast Boy's nerves.

However, Beast Boy started to feel a little flustered anyway. It wasn't Robin's fault though. Beast Boy admired Robin and always thought of him as one of the best leaders, but more importantly, one of the best friends he could ask for. Beast Boy would have probably gotten annoyed by _anyone_ at this point. But Robin's methods of helping to solve a personal problem could get on his nerves sometimes. Robin, in that respect, was more like an interrogator rather than "that person you can always talk to". However, he did get the idea was only this way with him. How else would he Starfire survive together? Starfire was much too lighthearted to be with the crime fighting, intimidating Robin who was mentored by the great Bruce Wayne, otherwise known as Batman. But in the end, Beast Boy knew that Robin just needed an answer to make sure that his team was in order and that his friend was alright.

"Okay," Beast Boy began, "there is something that has been on my mind since yesterday." He paused to see if Robin knew what he was referring to. He even had to keep reminding himself that the battle was only one day ago. With all the thinking and puzzles he had been trying to piece together, yesterday felt like it was ages and ages ago. Robin nodded, so Beast Boy proceeded.

Beast Boy decided he might as well tell the half truth. "It's not really something I wanna tell anyone about. So over dinner I was trying to figure this thing out. I realized this thing isn't a problem or anything… it's just a little confusing. I wanna try and figure it out on my own."

Robin still had his doubts, but he was actually satisfied with the answer. Over the years Beast Boy had really matured, personality-wise and physically. Now, Beast Boy was more open to admit when something was bothering him and he started taking serious situations seriously. Therefore, his answer was understandable and truthful enough for Robin. Beast Boy actually looked his age now, which was well-suited to his new attitude. He was no longer that scrawny, little guy. He was eighteen and had finally reached a normal height. When he was sixteen, he may have passed off as a thirteen or fourteen year old to someone that didn't know him. And nowadays it was strange to see the old Beast Boy emerge; the one that whined and pouted over losing a videogame. Well actually, Robin could recall that happening a few days ago. Okay, so maybe it wasn't that strange. Some things never change.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Robin asked courteously. The Titans were family. It didn't matter that Robin and Beast Boy were having this kind of discussion; every one of them looked out for each other.

"Nah, don't worry about it. I'll work it out," Beast Boy reassured. However, in his mind he wasn't completely sure if this was true. "I'm gunna go crash for awhile," he said and turned to leave.

"Oh yeah, because you go to bed this early _all_ the time," Robin remarked jestingly. The Boy Wonder didn't even try to hide his sly grin.

Beast Boy shook his head let out a single "ha" and walked out of the room.

There again was something that was different about Beast Boy: he finally learned to pick up sarcasm and brush it off. Robin laughed to himself at this. _'The direct result of living with Raven, I presume,' _he thought.

His enjoyment of this moment ceased when he remembered Raven. She had been, well, just about dead too. Both of them being in a vegetative state at the same time was much too peculiar. Robin began having a hunch of something he thought he should have noticed earlier.

Robin scrubbed the bowl he was unconsciously washing, except when it dawned on him that he had been washing it, he almost let it slide through his grasp. It amazed him how he was able to do anything when his head was so far off into space. He reopened the currently closed dishwashers to place in the last bowl. He inspected his "workspace" and switched the dishwasher on. It took him until now to realize that the whole room was empty_. 'When did this happen?'_ he wondered. Beast Boy went back to his room, Cyborg probably went back to fulfill his duties as official tower grease monkey, Starfire was most likely doing something to Robin's room, and if he knew correctly, Raven would be right where he thought she would be.

-X-

"Going to sleep? Where could that have come from?"

Beast Boy talked out loud. He was feeling a little more relaxed. Just a little. At least now he knew he didn't have to be so secretive about this. He figured that he could tell Cyborg and Starfire about it... but not that he would ever need to, of course. But then what about Raven herself? Would he be able to tell her what was on his mind? Would she even listen to him?"

"She didn't really wanna talk back there." He remembered how she looked and shuddered. "She scares me when she's like that."

Usually when that was the case, she had something serious on her mind. She didn't have to say anything about it for Beast Boy to know that her silence was directed at him.

"Ugh! Why me?"

He reached his room and slipped in, locking the door behind him.

-X-

Raven slipped out of the common as soon as she wrapped up her bowl of ravioli. She let out a relieved sigh; no one noticed her leave. Talking wasn't something she wanted to do now, even if it was about normal daily things. Too many troubling thoughts dominated her mind. Of course, this had been a norm for her. Still, despite all the times this happened, she had never gotten used to it. How could she?

If Raven walked any faster she could have become airborne. Again, she felt no need for her powers; she could walk just fine. She reached a door and opened it with a forceful push. As she passed by it into the stairwell, she heard the door slam into the wall, causing her to wince. She had to remind herself that insecurity was no excuse for her to harm her home.

Her brisk pace was broken as she came upon another thought.

"Did I just call myself insecure?"

She was almost tempted to smack herself, but she settled for a grunt that resonated throughout the stairwell. She continued upward to the floor she sought.

A single ray of orange sunshine seeped through the small window in the door at the top of the stairwell. The sunlight revealed the thousands tiny particles that clung to the air. This time, she calmly turned the knob and gently pushed the steel door open. She walked to the very center of the roof and let the sun's fading warmth sooth her skin. The sky, filled with various reds, yellows, and pinks, provided a tranquil atmosphere. It was exactly what she needed. She just basked in the sun for a few minutes, her eyes closed and her face in the direct path of the rays. She could feel the warmth of the sun wane as the light behind her eyelids dimmed. Before she knew it, the day had already succumbed to the darkness of night. She must have been standing there for awhile even though it had only felt like a minute. With a cleansing breath, she opened her eyes to the millions of stars in the heavens.

It wasn't one of those impromptu, content moments like earlier in the common room, but it was nice nonetheless. She proceeded to sit cross-legged, enjoying the deathly calm of the cool night and the sea. She could only hope that it would last. That proved to be wishful thinking…

The door creaked open and soft footsteps followed it, well, considering how soft steel toed boots can be. He sat down next to her, barely making a sound. It was quiet between the two for a moment.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" he asked precariously, although he knew what her answer would be.

"No, not at all," Raven replied nonchalantly.

"Are you telling me the truth?"

"Does it really matter, Robin?" Her reply this time was rather snappish. "Rarely do someone's words reflect what they're feeling on the inside." She turned to look him in the eyes, but she really couldn't tell if he was looking back into hers, due to the mask.

Raven spoke again as an apology for snapping at him like that. "But no, you aren't interrupting anything. I'm… stressed."

"Raven, would you mind telling me what's got you like this?" Robin asked warmheartedly. You and Beast Boy really had me worrying back there."

"I'm not sure what it is." That was true for the most part.

"You know you can tell me anything," Robin said comfortingly. If he wanted information from Raven, he knew coercion was not the method to use.

Raven laughed at herself. "It's actually kind of funny. I was thinking about coming to you earlier, but it looks like you found me."

He smiled. "Well, you know me"

"Yeah."

More silence ensued.

"What stopped you from coming to me?" Robin inquired.

"Me thinking I could deal with it on my own," she stated dryly.

Robin studied the hard expression in her careful gaze. She must have noticed him because she raised an eyebrow for a split second then turned to look at the stars again.

"That's not the only reason. I can tell," he said, still speaking softly.

"That's why I said I wasn't sure if I could tell you," she explicated.

Robin followed her gaze back to the stars and saw a familiar sight. The three stars of Orion's belt were shining prominently down from space. It was always the first formation he saw in the sky. It took a bit longer to find the profile of the whole constellation itself though.

"You ever wonder how the people created the constellations?" he asked all of a sudden.

"Excuse me?" she asked back, being caught completely off guard by the question, as well as intrigued.

"I mean, now that we know what they look like, they're easy to spot," Robin expatiated. "But how were people able to form them? There are billions of stars just in _our_ galaxy and yet they were able to choose those select few. Now you can pick out the same stars night after night just by looking at the constellations. Those stars almost seem to stick out from the rest of them. Like Orion's belt. It's just three stars in a row, but we know which three are parts of the belt without even finding the whole constellation first."

"Don't mind me asking, Robin, but why did you ask that?" She was really quite interested in hearing his answer.

"Just trying to change the subject," he responded. He was even blunter than she had been, but yet his voice remained kind. Raven was almost disappointed that his answer hadn't been more insightful.

"That's not like you to give up so easily" she told him.

"This isn't like you either, raven," he told her back.

When he didn't continue, she edged him. "Feel free to elaborate."

Robin did just that. "I've never seen you so worked up before. You used to hide everything from us. We never knew what you were feeling, so it was always hard to help. And it always seemed like you never wanted any anyway. That all changed when your prophecy was coming true. You were so hopeless and you looked like you were begging to be helped, even though you knew it was impossible to stop it. Ever since then, things have been okay. Seeing you so troubled again after so long makes it seem unusual. Plus, you've never made it so obvious something is wrong. I think talking about it will help."

Raven thought about his words. She could tell he was a little nervous about what he said, but she couldn't really blame him. She hadn't reacted well in the past to people approaching her about these types of things. She got up from her position in the center of the roof and went to stand closer to the edge. Robin followed.

After what seemed like an eternity of contemplation, she replied. "I understand that… and it is true. Except, what I'm feeling is not so much a problem as it is a frustration that I need to work out on my own."

"That's basically what Beast Boy said," Robin said, looking at her intently.

"You talked to him too?"

"Yeah. 'I realized this thing I'm feeling isn't a problem or anything… just a little confusing' were his exact words."

"Did he say anything more?" she questioned.

"Um, no. He didn't specify anything. He just said that he would try to work it out on his own too."

More silence. Robin was becoming suspicious. More than he was before, at least. Raven was awfully concerned with Beast Boy's own little dilemma. And they were both giving the same reasons for not explaining.

"What?" Raven was studying Robin's expression. It was the one he always had when he was doing some serious calculating. She was a little afraid of what he was piecing together.

Robin looked at her hard. Even with his mask on, she could tell that the eyes behind it never blinked once.

"Raven?" he asked seriously and cautiously.

She raised her eyebrows as a way of motioning for him to continue.

"Do you… like Beast Boy?"

Silence…

Robin had to give Raven some credit. A lot of credit, actually. If she was enraged, surprised, stupefied, or all of the above, she was doing a pretty good job of hiding it, which was a stark contrast of what he was just telling her.

Then finally, the frozen girl spoke. "You're kidding," she said confidently. She seemed a little uncharacteristic of what would be a normal attitude from her.

"No, I'm not," Robin said.

"Yes you are," she said a little more firmly.

"No… I'm not, Raven," he stated flatly.

"Cute, Robin."

"Raven…"

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard all day."

"Raven…"

"I know you're not serious, so stop acting like you are."

"Raven…"

"Wait till the others get a load of this."

"Raven!"

"WHAT!?" She practically spat in his face.

Robin didn't move a muscle at her outburst, he just sat there and stared back at her threw his mask. "Raven, look at me," he ordered. "Look at me and tell if I was kidding."

Raven's eyes were feeding on his soul, but he did not let his qualms show. But with each passing second, the hardness of her visage dissolved and dissolved until it broke down into a sad, defeated look. She practically collapsed from her standing position into a sitting position with her legs curled up to her chest.

Robin knelt down and got close to her to speak to her softly. "Personally, I don't see why this is a big deal."

She started at the ground. "No one will ever understand me fully, Robin. Not even you. Besides, I don't even know what my feelings for him are."

"Would it be such a bad thing if you did have feelings for Beast Boy?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," she replied dejectedly.

"Well, what do you know you feel about him?" he tried again and sat down next to her.

"I don't hate him. I've never truly hated him, despite how I've treat him sometimes. He's my friend. A very good friend at that. And since yesterday, I feel like I could trust him with my life… even though I can't trust him with any secrets."

Robin chuckled. "It's weird seeing you tell me this without persuasion first."

Even though Robin was surprised by her willingness to tell, Raven was not. She had already opened up to Beast Boy. Maybe he was inspiring it in her to open up.

"Well, to me," Robin said, "it seems that yesterday has awoken some emotions within you. The both of you. I don't know exactly what to make of it. That's your job."

Raven looked at him thoughtfully. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

There was yet another brief silence. Things had turned out considerably well in Robin's mind, but he knew that she probably wanted time to herself to think things through.

"Well, I'm going to go see if Cyborg's up for a few rounds on the Game Station," Robin relayed.

He got up and slowly walked away to head back down to the common room. Raven never looked back at him; she continued to gaze at the brilliant stars shining in the sky. Thankfully Robin was quite introspective, so he could tell that Raven wanted a moment to relax and gather her thoughts. The night was calm and it was not late yet. She figured she would stay up here for a while longer. She caught herself looking directly at the recognizable array of stars that formed Orion's belt.

As it was normal for her, Raven reviewed the conversation. In her head, she replayed certain things that were said. Then she came upon a new, disturbing thought. It just registered in her what they had gotten into talking about. How was it possible that this eluded her mind for so long?

* * *

**A/N's:**

Well, well, well, the fourth chapter is out nearly ten months after the last chapter was put up. Things are starting to get rolling again. I blame summer vacation for that. Anyway, I'm really anxious to see how this chapter is received. It's been FAR too long since I last updated. I don't know, I think a lot of this story may be OOC. I really have to go back and read this whole story several times over. I always find things I want to change after I let something sit for a long time. As always, I love any suggestions, so if you have any, don't hesitate to tell me.


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